TROPICAL PASTURE ESTABLISHMENT .12. PASTURE ESTABLISHMENT PRACTICES AND EXPERIENCES IN CENTRAL QUEENSLAND

In central Queensland over 2M ha of sown pastures have been establishe d. These areas, combined with the valuable native pasture resources of the region, provide grazing for more than 2M beef cattle. The diversi ty in climate, soils and land use results in a large and variable rang e of appropriate establishment practices in pasture development. Pastu res are established by sowing into cultivated or ash seedbeds followin g clearing of forest and scrub country, sowing after regrowth control, and oversowing legumes into native and sown grasses using a range of techniques. The shrub legume, Leucaena, is being more widely sown as a re ponded pastures and small areas of irrigated pastures. Forage crops are also widely sown. In the drier areas, rainfall variability has a major influence on pasture establishment. Poor establishment occurs wh en stored soil moisture is low, follow-up rain fails or competition fr om resident grass, weeds or cover crops is high. Establishment on clay soils is most difficult and few plants, particularly perennial legume s, are suited to clays. There is an emerging need for plants that are suited to short-term (or ley) pastures for use between successive crop s, and for the technologies that provide rapid and reliable establishm ent of these plants. Dormancy in grasses can be a problem and hardseed edness in legumes often reduces establishment. Techniques to more effe ctively scarify legume seed and a better appreciation of how seed char acteristics interact with climate and soil moisture could improve esta blishment of sown pastures and thus help to maintain and develop the p astoral industry of the region.